Journey's New Beginning
by Hediru
Summary: Originally a one shot, but I decided to continue it. The tenth Doctor has just had the worst day of his entire existence. He has lost everyone. Again. Or has he? A Rose/Ten reunion fic. This is completely AU, but I wish it was Canon. This takes place after the climatic season 4 finale, Journey's End.
1. Chapter 1

**Had a bit of writers block in my other story, ****_A TARDIS family reunion_****, but my imagination sparked this little story of pure 10/Rose fluff.**

**I do not own Doctor Who.**

CHAPTER 1

The Doctor had had the worst day of his lives. He had lost planet Earth, and found it again only to discover that it was a newly reborn dalek empire that had stolen it. He was reunited with all of his most recent companions, only to discover that he had turned them into killers. He was reunited with the love of his life, Rose, only to be exterminated by a dalek in the process. He was able to heal himself without fully regenerating, only to inadvertently create a biological meta crisis. He was able to save the universe again, only by watching the meta crisis commit genocide. He was able to give Rose the life she'd always wanted with him, only he wasn't the one who got to live it. The last straw was when he was able to save the life of his best mate Donna, only by making her forget everything about him.

It was a miserable Doctor who boarded the TARDIS alone after dropping Donna off at her home. He was never going to take another companion again. While their presence comforted him, all he had ever done was to ruin their lives. Never again. The TARDIS groaned. She wasn't happy about this decision. She'd rather liked having humans on board. Slowly the Doctor made his way toward his bedroom, though how he would be able to sleep, he had no idea. Along the way, he paused for a moment before a door to a room that he hadn't seen in awhile, and he'd thought he'd never see again. On the door was a rose.

As he opened the door, both of his hearts caught in his throat. The room looked exactly the way she had left it. "Why are you torturing me, old girl? This is the cruelest thing you could've ever done!" He shouted at the TARDIS, his voice cracking as he struggled to hold back tears. The tears came as he found a discarded shirt on the floor, held it to his face and inhaled her scent, as fresh as if it had just been worn. He collapsed in a heap in the center of her bed, and still clutching the shirt, cried himself into a restless sleep.

* * *

When the Doctor awoke, he was surprised to find that he was no longer clutching a shirt, but several pieces of stationary with writing on them. A handwritten letter. Intrigued, he unfolded it and began to read.

_ My Doctor,_

_It is my hope that the Old Girl has delivered on her promise that you would read this upon awakening. There is so much that I want to say. First, I regret to inform you that your meta crisis clone has died. It happened shortly after you left us on the beach. We were walking to the car when he suddenly had a massive headache and started screaming about human bodies and time lord brains not mixing and how his very existence was wrong. He worried aloud about Donna and hoped that she was not suffering like he was. Then he looked at me. "I'm dying, and there's nothing you can do. I'm burning up. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry!" I told him that I was the one who was sorry. _

_I laid him down in the sand, and let him use my lap as a pillow, trying to make him as comfortable as possible. Sharing your gob, he continued to talk. "Find him!" I knew immediately that he was talking about you. I held his hand, your hand, the one the Sycorax had cut off that Christmas so long ago, from which he had grown. He continued to talk, his voice desperate. "Whether or not he saves Donna, she will not be able to travel with him anymore and he is now or will very soon be alone again. I know he is planning not to take anymore companions, which is why it is more important than ever that you find him!" His voice was fading. He was going fast. I promised him that I would do everything I could. I'd found you once, I would do it again! His last words broke my heart: "I love you... And so does he!" With that, he breathed his last. His body was enveloped in a golden light, and at first, I thought he was going to regenerate, but no. His body vanished, and all that remained was the hand, still warm in mine._

_I buried it deep it in the sand and moved a large boulder above it to mark the small grave, tears streaming down my face. That's when I heard her: the TARDIS was materializing! I couldn't believe my luck! I ran towards the sound with every bit of energy I had left. __But when the doors opened, the man who stepped out was not someone that I recognized. Nor did he recognize me. "Doctor?" I asked._

_It was a past face of yours who had been inexplicably drawn to that particular location at that precise moment in time. (The TARDIS had sent you somewhere you weren't expecting again, surprise, surprise!) You asked how I knew you, and I explained that I was a future companion, though how far in the future, I didn't know because I didn't know which incarnation I was speaking to. I told this you that you and I were unfortunately separated and I somehow ended up in the wrong universe. You didn't even hesitate, and brought me back to the correct universe. Thanks for that, by the way!_

_But, you dolt! You left me at Bad Wolf Bay again, though I was assured that it was the correct universe this time. Sure looked the same, though. Miles from civilization. I began walking in the direction of civilization when I heard her AGAIN! I didn't care which version of you it was: if it was another past version, you could take me to a place with people at least. If it was a future incarnation, you might remember where I could find you. And if it was YOU... Well, you can imagine!_

_It was a future you this time. You knew me, but I didn't know you. (Oh, and I'm supposed to tell you: sorry, still not ginger!) You did more than tell me where to find you. You took me within three blocks of where you had parked the TARDIS! You were in Donna's house, returning her home for the last time. Poor Donna. I guess being trapped in a parallel world (twice!) was not really that bad after all. At least I still have my memories._

_Using my key, I let myself in and into my old bedroom. Never in my wildest dreams did I think you were going to walk in upon your return! Not wanting to scare you half to death, I hid in the wardrobe. My heart was torn as I watched you grab my old shirt and collapse on my bed. I wanted to go to you then, but I still didn't want to scare you, so I slipped out as you started to snore. Which is how I now find myself sitting at the table in the kitchen, sipping tea and writing you this obnoxiously long letter. The TARDIS promises that you'll get it when you wake up first thing._

_Anyway, I'm going to the telly room to watch some movies. You can find me there. If I'm asleep, wake me. Seriously. I will be so mad if you don't! I have waited so long for our reunion. Being back on the TARDIS is one thing, but I need to be back with you! I know that you can't say it, but I know that you love me. Meta crisis assured me of this. My feelings haven't changed, either. I promised you my forever, and forever is not over yet!_

_Love,_

_Your Rose_

* * *

She was asleep when he found her, curled up on the sofa, snoring softly, still holding the remote. She looked a mess, but the Doctor thought that she had never looked lovelier. Quietly, he knelt next to her and woke her - with a kiss.


	2. Chapter 2

**So I lied about this being a one shot. :) I just can't resist a Roctor romance!**

**I don't own the Doctor or Rose. If I did, this story would be Canon.**

CHAPTER 2

Rose felt a bit like she was living in a fairy tale. She had always dreamed of being awakened by love's first kiss, but she never believed that it would actually ever happen to her, and while it was a favorite fantasy, she never believed that her Prince Charming would turn out to be the Doctor. She smiled against his lips and then returned the kiss, gently at first, and then with increased intensity as the Doctor's kiss deepened as well. Eventually, they parted, still clinging to each other. They paused, gazing into each other's eyes, each disbelieving that the other was real.

"Hey" she said, blushing under his gaze.

"Hey" he replied. He smiled at her. "I got your letter."

"Figured as much" she said, teasing him with her famous tongue between the teeth grin. "Miss me?"

"Well... I guess you could say that" he replied, teasing her in return. "What's on the telly?"

"Been having my own personal Disney marathon: _Beauty and the Beast, Frozen, Tangled. _I had started _The Lion King, _but I guess that's when I finally dozed off." She laughed. "I didn't think I'd wake up and discover that I had turned into Sleeping Beauty or Snow White, but..." here she looked at him steadily in the face. "It looks like my Prince has come."

He stood up and turned around, pretending to look and see if anyone else was in the room, spinning around frantically. "What? Where? Who?" Rose just giggled at his antics and playfully punched him in the arm.

"Gosh I've missed your craziness, Doctor."

He grinned. "So, your highness" he started with an exaggerated bow that only made her laugh harder. "Does my lady need more beauty sleep, or might she be ready for an adventure?"

She yawned. "Right now, I think the only adventure I want to have at this moment involves some very sweet dreams."

He took her hand and helped her to her feet. "Well then. Let me show you to your bedroom, which, incidentally, I might add, happens to contain a surprisingly very comfortable bed."

"Surprisingly?"

"Well, I... Well that's a bit silly, isn't it. Of course the bed is comfortable."

She turned to face him as they arrived at her door. "You could join me if you like," she said, shyly.

The Doctor didn't say anything but allowed himself to be led into the room and settled himself next to her on the bed. She snuggled up against him and he wrapped his arms around her, placing a light kiss on her forehead. Within moments, she was asleep again, listening to the steady beating of his two hearts.

The Doctor, however, was wide awake. He watched her as she slept, and marveled at his good fortune. He had had the worst day of his lives, but yet, he was happy. And it all had to do with the remarkable pink and yellow human he was holding at this very moment. Was it truly possible that he indeed lived for 900 years without her; that she had existed for a couple of decades already and he had had not known until a handful of years ago? Had he really just tried to send her away again? Why?

He thought about this. He had sent her away again. Still, she'd come back. Nothing could keep her away. Not the TARDIS taking her away from Satellite 5, not another dimension. Even presenting her with a human version of himself practically custom gift wrapped for her to make all her dreams come true had not kept her away. She truly was special. Granted, according to her letter, he himself had assisted her most recent return, and apparently, he will do it again in a later body as well. He searched his vast memory bank for a memory of rescuing a blonde girl on a beach, and he was aware of it just tickling the back of his mind.

He was in his eighth body, having just begun his travels again after one again defeating the Master. He had just bade farewell to the lovely Dr. Grace, and though he was sad that she hadn't decided to travel with him, he realized that it was for the best. He had been getting dangerously close to falling for her, and it would never do for a timelord to fall in love with a human. (He snickered to himself as he recalled that line of thinking. Oh, if his eighth self could see him now.)

Suddenly, the TARDIS had started rocking and shaking. He realized with shock that he was passing through the void and into a parallel world without intending to. He just hoped that he had his Gallifreyan issued interdimensional passport in an accessible spot in case he was stopped. He had found himself on a beach, and met a rather remarkable young woman with blonde hair who needed a lift back to the world from which he had just left. He had been more than happy to assist. It had been a short jaunt, and he had all but forgotten about it: until now.

Now, here he was, about 100 TARDIS years later, and that same remarkable blonde was asleep in his arms. Rose Tyler. She had been the last bright spot in his life before he had entered the Time War: and when he met her officially, she became the first bright spot for him after the war was over. He shook his head in disbelief. Sometimes the wibbly wobbly timely whimey that was his life amazed even him. He decided right then and there that he was never going to send her away again.

* * *

Rose was very pleased to discover that the Doctor was still in her bed when she awoke. "Hey" she said, simply, smiling up at him.

He looked at her nervously. It was now or never, before he lost his nerve. "I suppose now's the chance to say it. Rose Tyler..." the Doctor said, his voice betraying the emotions he felt so strongly. She looked at him expectantly, and her breath caught in her throat as he actually finished his sentence.

"I love you."

She reached up and stroked his face, cupping his chin in her hand, her eyes radiating the joy she felt as she heard the words. There was no mistaking her feelings.

"Quite right, too" she replied before grabbing him by the lapels and pulling him in for another amazing kiss.


	3. Chapter 3

**So, I'm not much of a fan of those stories that rehash episodes from the series almost verbatim except that they change one little thing here or there. It's boring to me when you know what's going to happen. So I'm just going to hit one key episodes. So, basically, hop on my mental TARDIS and fast forward through a few David Tennant specials and just pretend that Rose was there the entire time, and throw in a few good kissing scenes for good measure. :) **

**We've now landed smack dab in the middle of David's last episode, ****_The End of Time. _****The Master has created his "master race" on earth. The Doctor has had his "worst rescue ever" and is on board the ship with the cactus people. Wilf and Rose are with him. We await the return of Gallifrey. Words in italics are from the episode transcript. Ok? Allons-y!**

**Still don't own it.**

CHAPTER 3

Their situation looked pretty bleak, but Rose was still optimistic. She and the Doctor had been through worse before. The only thing that was bothering her was that darn prophecy: "he will knock four times." The Doctor wouldn't admit it, but Rose knew that he was scared. Somehow, they knew that today was the day. She remained by his side, holding his hand as much as possible, both to give him strength, and to reassure herself that he was still there. At the moment, however, she was standing off to the side as the Doctor was having what appeared to be a very intimate conversation with Wilf. They appeared to be having a father/son conversation, but who was the father and who was the son, Rose wasn't exactly sure. They both acted fatherly to each other. One thing was for sure, the men cared about each other, and Wilf was as scared for the Doctor as she was. He offered the Doctor his old revolver. The Doctor refused it.

_"But if you take it, you could..." _Wilf started.

_"No. You had that gun in the mansion. You could have shot the Master there and then." _the Doctor stated.

_"Too scared, I suppose."_

_"I'd be proud."_

_"Of what?"_

_"If you were my dad."_

Rose felt her eyes begin to fill with tears. They barely knew each other, but these men loved each other as if they were blood. She was honored to have been present for such a moment.

Wilf was not one for sentimentality just now, however. "_Oh_,_ come on, don't start. But you said, you were told he will knock four times and then you die. Well, that's him, isn't it? The Master. That noise in his head? The Master is going to kill you._

_"Yeah." _Rose walked over to him and grasped his hand tightly in hers. He squeezed it back in thank you. It amazed him how she always knew when he needed her without him saying anything.

Wilf wasn't having it, however._ "Then kill him first."_

_"And that's how the Master started. It's not like I'm an innocent. I've taken lives. I got worse. I got clever. Manipulated people into taking their own. Sometimes I think a Time Lord lives too long. I can't. I just can't."_

_"If the Master dies, what happens to all the people?"_

_"I don't know."_

_"Doctor, what happens?" _Rose hated to interrupt the conversation, but she just had to know. Were she and Wilf now the last humans just as the Doctor and Master were the last of the time lords?

_"The template snaps." _ the Doctor replied.

_"What, they go back to being human? They're alive, and human."_ Rose was suddenly torn. Wasn't the death of one time lord worth the life of the entire planet? Of course it was! Especially if that one time lord was NOT the Doctor.

Wilf seemed to agree with her._ "Then don't you dare, sir. Don't you dare put him before them. Now you take this. That's an order, Doctor. Take the gun. You take the gun and save your life. And please don't die. You're the most wonderful man and I don't want you to die."_

"Me neither!" Rose implored him. But even as she did, she knew that he wouldn't take it. Much as the Doctor hated the Master, the Master was the only other time lord in existence. The Master was the only thing that prevented the Doctor from completely killing off his own species. That, and they were friends once, albeit a very, very long time ago. She knew that the Doctor would never be able to kill the Master. She took both of his hands in hers and looked him in the eyes. "I love you and support you, no matter what happens, Doctor." That was all the encouragement he needed.

Their conversation was interrupted by the disembodied voice of the Master, broadcasting over a loudspeaker, informing the Doctor that a star had fallen from the sky.

_"The star was a diamond."_ the Master taunted. "_And the diamond is a Whitepoint Star."_

The Doctor's face turned white. Rose looked at him with alarm. "Gallifrey" he whispered.

* * *

A battle which Rose could only describe as epic ensued. The old soldier, Wilf, got to have another taste of combat. Rose would have laughed at the old man's glee as he shot down missiles if it wasn't for the look on her Doctor's face. She had NEVER seen him look so terrified, and yet so determined before. She couldn't hold his hand because he was busy steering the ship, but she wrapped both of her arms around him, hanging on for dear life. He pulled the nose of the spaceship up at the last moment, left the controls, and opened the hatch. To Rose's shock, he grabbed the revolver before pulling her into a crushing embrace and quick but very intense kiss. Then he jumped through the hatch and crashed through the glass ceiling below.

"DOCTOR!" Rose cried. Then she looked up as a shadow blocked the sun. A huge, red planet was filling the sky.

"What is that?" Wilf asked her.

"I think it's Gallifrey." She responded. "And if it is, we're in big trouble now."

"But Gallifrey, that's the Doctor's planet. His people are coming back. That's a good thing, right?"

"No, I really don't think it is. He talks of the planet's beauty and paints his life there in pretty colors, but he doesn't talk of the people much. I have a feeling that most time lords were less like the Doctor and more like the Master. Besides, a planet that size coming this close to us... we're about to get knocked out of orbit! Come on. Let's land this. He needs us!"

* * *

Meanwhile, the Doctor and the Master were standing face to face with Rassilon, the Lord President of Gallifrey and several members of the council. Rose and Wilf were temporarily relieved to discover that the people had returned to their human forms. Wilf noticed a technician stuck in the radiation booth and immediately went to his aid, tapping himself inside. Rose had tried to stop him because it was so dangerous, but she had to admire the old man's courage and compassion. She could do nothing but gape at the time lords gathered in the room.

The Doctor was speaking now, presumably to the Master, who Rose was relieved to discover was still alive. Maybe the Doctor didn't have to kill him after all.

_"You weren't there in the final days of the War. You never saw what was born. But if the Timelock's broken, then everything's coming through. Not just the Daleks, but the Skaro Degradations, the Horde of Travesties, the Nightmare Child, the Could-have-been King with his army of Meanwhiles and Never-weres. The War turned into hell. And that's what you've opened, right above the Earth. Hell is descending." _

He and Rose locked eyes for a moment. This is why he had been so afraid. She started to run to him, but he stopped her. The Lord President began to speak.

_"We will initiate the Final Sanction. The end of time will come at my hand. The rupture will continue until it rips the Time Vortex apart."_

Even the Master knew that this was a bad idea._ "That's suicide!"_

_"We will ascend to become creatures of consciousness alone. Free of these bodies, free of time, and cause and effect, while creation itself ceases to be."_

The Doctor turned back to the Master. _"Do you see now? That's what they were planning in the final days of the War. I had to stop them."_

He had stopped them. He had killed them all. Rose felt like she had been punched in the gut. This was his big, dark secret that he couldn't share with anyone, even her. He looked at her with eyes pleading for forgiveness and understanding. She smiled weakly at him. "I love you" she mouthed.

He nodded at her and pulled out the gun. He aimed it at Rassilon. Rose couldn't believe what she was seeing. Her eyes welled up with tears. "Doctor" she whispered. The Doctor, taunted by the time lords, suddenly spun around and aimed the gun at the Master. More taunting. He spun around again and aimed at Rassilon again. Finally, he turned around towards the Master again and to Rose's relief, told him to get out of the way before firing at the diamond.

_"The link is broken. Back into the Time War, Rassilon. Back into hell." _Rose shuddered at her Doctor's words.

_"You'll die with me, Doctor."_

_"I know."_

* * *

It was over. The Master had returned the Doctor's favor and sacrificed himself, taking out Rassilon with the last of his own life power. Everything had gone quiet. Rose ran over to her Doctor. "You're alive!" She wrapped her arms around him and held him tight. He hugged her back, too relieved to speak. Then they heard it.

Knock knock knock knock

Their eyes met for a moment. "No!" Rose whispered.

Knock knock knock knock

Wilf. Poor Wilf was still stuck in the radiation room, and it was about to blow. There was only one way out. "Oh Wilf!" Rose cried.

Wilf suddenly realized what he had done, and what it meant_. "Look, just leave me."_

"_Okay, right then, I will. Because you had to go in there, didn't you? You had to go and get stuck, oh yes. Because that's who you are, Wilfred. You were always this. Waiting for me all this time."_

_"No really, just leave me. I'm an old man, Doctor. I've had my time."_

_"Well, exactly. Look at you. Not remotely important. But me? I could do so much more. So much more! But this is what I get. My reward. And it's not fair! Oh. Oh. I've lived too long."_

* * *

Both men were so caught up in their own self pity, that neither man noticed Rose leave her Doctor's side and slip into the opposing booth until it was too late. She pressed the button to release Wilf as a intense pain filled her body. As she collapsed to the floor, she heard both men cry out her name. The Doctor was crying. It broke her heart. Then it all went black.


	4. Chapter 4

**Don't kill me after the last one! It's going to be ok! I promise! I'm posting this so quickly to minimize your angst as much as possible.**

**Still don't own this, but I totally think I rocked twisting Russell T. Davies' twist!**

CHAPTER 4

"ROSE!" The Doctor cried out. What was happening? Why did she do it? It was his time, not hers! He collapsed to his knees next to her in the booth, his body shaking with sobs. Yes, he didn't want to go, but he wouldn't really have gone. He would have regenerated and lived on. But Rose... He felt a hand lay on his shoulder. Wilf.

"I'm so sorry, Doctor. I'm so very sorry." The Doctor couldn't respond but continued to sob uncontrollably, rocking back and forth as his entire body convulsed with the intense pain that he felt. The old man wrapped his arms around the time lord, his own tears freely flowing as well.

Quietly, the door to the radiation chamber opened and Rose stepped out. She was completely unhurt. Bad Wolf had protected her once again. It was while she was still trapped in the parallel world that she had first discovered that she was immortal. They were building the dimension cannon that eventually brought her back to the Doctor. There was a malfunction, however, and the cannon exploded, killing all five Torchwood employees in the room - including Rose herself. But sixty scant seconds later, she awoke, completely unhurt without a mark on her. She died a second time while traveling between dimensions when an army of daleks had found her and exterminated her. Again she awoke. She knew that she should probably have told the Doctor, but there never seemed to be a good time to do so. Seeing him now, she wished that she had told him sooner. Or at least told him _before_ she entered the booth. But everything had happened so fast. Wilf was trapped and the Doctor was going to sacrifice himself, she decided to do it instead and save _both_ of them and just did it without thinking... Oh, he was going to be furious with her now.

"Time to face the music" she thought as she cleared her throat to get the men's attention.

They were so distraught that she had to clear her throat several times before they noticed. The Doctor's eyes first registered disbelief, then relief, then (as Rose had unfortunately predicted) anger.

"Rose, care to explain to me what's going on?!"

"Bad Wolf" she started, trying to keep her voice calm, which was difficult, because in his eyes she saw the Oncoming Storm. No wonder enemies shrank in fear. "I'm so sorry, I should have told you. But there never seemed to be a good time..."

"So tell me now!" She shuddered. He was madder than she thought.

"I'm immortal. She protects me. I discovered it accidentally. I've already died twice before this and awoke unharmed. Injuries heal quickly too. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, and I was going to, honest, but I didn't know how you'd take it, and when I saw you were about to sacrifice yourself for Wilf... I just couldn't let you do that!"

"And you couldn't have told me this _before_ you walked into that booth?!"

"Well... I admit that I wasn't thinking."

"You bet you weren't. Do you have any idea what this has done to me?! I THOUGHT I LOST YOU! You are my world, Rose! My entire world!" The Oncoming Storm faded, and in its place was just pain, and love. Mostly love. "I love you!" He whispered, opening his arms to her.

She didn't hesitate, but ran into his arms, burying her face in his chest, her own tears flowing freely now. "I love you, too!" She whispered into his ear. "Forgive me?"

"I'll forgive you, under one condition: Don't you _ever_ do that to me again! Promise?"

"I promise."

The Doctor then pulled her into a long passionate kiss, unlike any kiss that they had ever shared before. It might have turned into something more, had Wilf not reminded them that he was still in the room.

"So everything's alright then? No real harm done, yeah? I'll say that you gave me quite the heart attack as well, young lady. What do you have to say for yourself?"

"Sorry, Wilf." She replied, duly chastised. She then grinned her famous tongue between the teeth grin. Her Doctor had forgiven her. All was right with the world.

* * *

They took Wilf home, and he thanked them both for the adventure and thrill. The Doctor invited him to stay and travel with them some more before returning, but he claimed that he was just an old man, and this one adventure had given him enough thrills for a lifetime.

"Besides, I have to make sure I'm here to walk my granddaughter down the aisle next week." He grinned at them. "Between you and me, I think that this one will stick."

"We wish Donna and her intended all the greatest happiness that life had to offer." Rose replied.

"Oh, that reminds me" said the Doctor, handing the old man an envelope. "I have a wedding present for them. Tell her it's from an old friend." Inside the envelope was a lottery ticket. "It's a winner" the Doctor stated. "Your entire family will be taken care of."

"Oh, bless you, Doctor! Bless you!" Wilf surprised everyone, including himself, when he planted a kiss on the Doctor's lips in gratitude. To make up for it, he turned to Rose and kissed her too.

"Farewell, Doctor! Farewell, Rose!" Wilf waved at them until he was back in the house.

"What an incredible man" Rose remarked.

* * *

"So, Rose, where would you like to go? What would you like to see?" The Doctor exuberantly asked as he danced around the TARDIS console.

"I don't know. How about you pick this time?" She said, grinning.

"You sure about that? Could be trouble." He said, teasing.

"As jeopardy friendly as we both are, I'm sure there will be trouble! But, that's why it's fun!" She laughed.

"Right you are! So, ok, are you ready then? Allons-y!"


	5. Chapter 5

**I don't own Doctor Who**

CHAPTER 5

He took her to the most beautiful planet she had ever seen. The sky was a brilliant blue with its one sun shining so brightly that there were hardly any shadows to be seen. The trees looked like they were made of lace, so covered they were in gorgeous blooms. There were birds singing somewhere above them. Here and there, little creatures wandered out into the sunlight. If they were on earth, she'd suppose them to be squirrels, chipmunks, or rabbits: they were always in pairs. There were people present as well: Rose recognized several friendly species that she and the Doctor had encountered through the years. They also seemed to be walking in pairs, holding hands, and even stealing the occasional kiss or two. She smiled in wonderment.

"Welcome to Romantica, the most romantic planet in the universe" the Doctor said, almost shyly. "I've never been here before, so this is a new world for me as well. You can't even set foot on this planet unless you're, you know, in love." As he spoke this last bit, he suddenly flushed a bright shade of red. Rose thought that it was the cutest thing she had ever seen.

"So, Doctor, what you're saying is that you like me!" Rose teased. "You like really, really, like me." She grinned. The Doctor began to turn an even darker shade of red. This just urged her on. She began to taunt him in a sing song voice. "You really like me, you wanna kiss me, you're gonna..."

But she didn't finish her sentence, because the Doctor did indeed want to kiss her, and decided that now was as good a time as any. Now it was Rose's turn to blush. "Doctor" she giggled, trying to turn away from him. "We're in public!"

"Really?" He replied. "I hadn't noticed."

"Come on, you." She laughed. "Let's explore this romantic place. I've never been to a planet that not even you have visited before!"

"Yeah, that's me. I've been everywhere." He shrugged, grinning at her.

Rose gazed at him in wonder and adoration. The Doctor was quiet, and unusually so. Usually by now his gob would have flapped unceasingly about the history of the planet or someone he met who was from here, or a legend about the place. But instead, he was quiet and had seemed quite content to walk through the streets of the small town they had discovered, holding her hand and saying practically nothing. Rose at first chalked it up to the fact that he had never been to this planet before either, but there seemed to be something else going on with him just beneath the surface. She just couldn't put her finger on what it was.

They'd wandered to what appeared to be a high end restaurant, complete with champagne flutes, and violin music in the background. Rose immediately felt under dressed, but the Doctor didn't seem to care what she wore. He actually seemed content to just take things slow for once. He winked at her. "Shall we, Dame Tyler?" He asked, offering her his arm.

"I'd love to, Sir Doctor."

Both of them were surprised when as they passed through the doorway, their clothes were instantly changed. The Doctor was wearing a tuxedo, and Rose loved the look. He kind of looked like James Bond with it on. She herself was wearing the most gorgeous red dress she had ever seen. It was long and elegant, reaching to the floor, the skirt just brushing the top of her adorable and yet surprisingly comfortable shoes. The dress was strapless, and hugged her curves in all the right places. The Doctor's eyes practically bugged out of his head. "Wow" he managed to squeak out as he gazed at her in amazement.

"Looking pretty good yourself, there, cowboy." She said, blushing.

After dinner, there was dancing. Rose relished the feel of being in his arms as they twirled about the floor. She rested her head against his chest and listened to the beating of his two hearts. She thought that there was no sound in the world more beautiful.

"How long you gonna stay with me?" He asked her.

"Forever" she replied. "I made my choice a long time ago, and I'm never gonna leave you."

He pulled her close then to kiss her, but before their lips could touch, he suddenly cried out and doubled over with pain.

"Doctor?!" Rose asked, alarmed. "Are you alright?"

"No. Get me back to the TARDIS, now!" He yelled.

Rose panicked when she discovered the source of his distress: the Doctor had been shot! Blood was putting from the wound in his side. "What? How? Oh my gosh! Doctor!" She cried. He collapsed to the ground, unconscious. "Somebody help, oh somebody please help!" She cried, still holding him in her arms.

It was then that she noticed the signs that were posted around the room. "Notice to all guests on Romantica: interspecies dating is strictly prohibited and will be stopped by force." It had a picture of a gun. Her heart sank. She had been with him for so long that she had forgotten that he wasn't even human. But then again, she guessed that she wasn't really human anymore, either. But no matter what she was now, she wasn't timelord, so the Doctor was shot.

The TARDIS seemed to realize her distress and the emergency situation as she suddenly materialized around them. It was then that she noticed that the Doctor was starting to glow. "No! No!" She cried. "You can't! You mustn't!"

The Doctor chose that moment to open his eyes. He locked eyes with her. "I should've known." He said. "Fixed point in time. I didn't regenerate to save Wilf, so fate is catching up with me. I'm sorry, Rose, I'm so sorry. I know you tried to stop this, but it's my time. Promise me you'll still be here when I change."

"Doctor, I..." She choked, tears streaming down her face.

"Promise me, Rose! I love you, and I can't bear the thought of losing you!" He pleaded, desperately clinging onto her.

"Of course I'll still be here, Doctor! I love you, and I'll never leave!"

He pulled her into a final passionate kiss before saying "I don't want to go!"

Rose dashed out of the way as his body exploded into golden light. The force of the regeneration was much more violent than the last time. Rose had to hide underneath the console to protect herself from flying debris.

Soon it was done. Standing before her in the Doctor's tux was a completely different man. He began feeling himself all over. "Legs, oh good, still have legs. Head, good. Face: ears, eyes, nose, I've had worse, chin. Blimey!" Rose giggled. His new chin was rather large. "Hair" he continued, and he gasped when he discovered that it was longer than expected. "I'm a girl!" Rose almost burst out laughing at this. "No" he said, relieved, when he found his Adam's apple. "I'm not a girl!" His hand went back to his hair which he pulled in front of his face. "And still not ginger!"

"And you know what else, Rose?" He continued, turning to face her. "I'm still hopelessly in love with you!"

She didn't even hesitate, but ran to him, and wrapped her arms around him before kissing him on his new lips. The lips felt different, but he still tasted the same. "You feeling ok, Doctor?" She asked him. "The last time, this didn't go so well. You were in bed awhile."

"Yes, the last one was hard. But I'm fine now. Except, well, except I'm not exactly sure how to fly this ship at the moment!"

"Well, it's a good thing that the Bad Wolf taught me how to fly her, then" she laughed as she danced around the console pushing buttons and flipping switches. "Allons-y!"

"No" he replied with a twinkle in his eyes. "Geronimo!"

"Fine then. Have it your way" she teased. This new Doctor certainly was different, and she already missed the last one just as she still missed her first, but she decided that this newer, younger looking and acting Doctor was going to be a lot of fun!

* * *

Later that night as they prepared for bed, the Doctor looked at her with hesitation. They had not spent a night apart from each other since their reunion several months before, (nothing sexual, just sleeping) and now in his new body, the Doctor seemed unsure.

"Oh, get over here, you!" Rose cried. She pulled him into bed with her.

"You're sure?" He asked. "I'm not the same person anymore, and I never will be again!"

"You're the Doctor, aren't you?" She asked, smiling.

"Well, yes."

"Then I'm sure."


	6. Chapter 6

**As I said before, I'm not a fan of rewriting episodes that already exist. I'd much rather write new bits that coincide with existing episodes. So the next few chapters are going to skip episodes. I'll do my best to fill in plot holes along the way, however. This chapter takes place near the end of "the Pandorica Opens" after the Doctor has blasted off to the exploding TARDIS, but before the wedding of the Ponds. Rose has been by the Doctor's side the entire time (though she was left behind for twelve years accidentally with the girl who waited. Oops. Though it was only five minutes for the Doctor, so from his perspective at least, she never left. I recently read another story on this site that had Rose become Amy's nanny before getting a job in UNIT during that time. I like that idea, so let's go with it). Their relationship, while still full of romantic feelings and stolen kisses, seems to have stalled, much to Rose's frustration, and it is a result of the Doctor's ignorance of the matter.**

**Still don't own the Doctor or any of the characters. **

CHAPTER 6

The Doctor was gone. It was worse than death, for it was as if he had never existed. Amy and Rory had forgotten about him. River had even forgotten about him. He had been erased from history.

But Rose remembered. It was funny, though. It was like she had lost some of her memory. She remembered a man in a leather jacket with rather large ears, a goofy grin, and a northern accent who grabbed her hand, told her to run, and stole her heart in the process. She remembered an incredibly sexy man in a brown suit, with great hair, a penchant for uttering a particular phrase in French, and lips that she loved to kiss. She could recount every detail of her adventures with both of those Doctors. She remembered that second face beginning to regenerate... then nothing. This greatly puzzled and upset her. She loved him, and he loved her. Where was he now? The next thing she did remember was volunteering to be a nanny for young Amelia Pond, but had no recollection of how she got there. Her co-workers at UNIT were no help, either. She distinctly remembered that she was hired simply because of her relationship with the Doctor, but now they just looked at her and asked the question that had really started to annoy her. "Doctor? Doctor Who?"

In desperation, she reached out to the one person who might remember him: Captain Jack Harkness, the immortal man who had once been her best friend. He was immortal as a direct result of having traveled with the Doctor (ok, Rose technically was the one who did it, but if it wasn't for the Doctor taking him on as another companion, Rose wouldn't have needed to resurrect him), so if anyone would remember him, it was Jack. It was late at night, the night before she was to appear in Amy and Rory's wedding as a bridesmaid, when she called at his Torchwood headquarters in Cardiff.

"Hey, Jack."

"Rosie! How are you?"

"Well, to be honest, I'm a bit troubled and I'm hoping that you could help me."

"What is it luv?"

"Well... this might sound weird, but, do you remember a man who called himself the Doctor?"

"What kind of question is that? Of course I remember the Doc! He's had two faces that I've known, and who knows how many there were before. He worships the ground you walk on. He's the reason I am who I am. And you're asking if I remember him?"

Rose was very relieved. "Oh, I am so glad to hear you say that! I was starting to think that I was going mad. No one, and I mean no one knows him. Not even UNIT knows of him anymore. And I remember the two faces that you probably remember quite clearly, but he started to regenerate, and then it's like he vanished."

"Oh... that's not good." Came the reply. "Let me ask you this. Do you happen to know if he's been investigating any unusual cracks in the wall?"

"I... I don't know. I feel like I should know though. It's like it's there in my head, but something's blocking any recollection of it, you know?"

"Ok. Let me rephrase. Have you been noticing any unusual cracks?"

"Come to mention it, I have. Amy had one in her wall in her room when she was growing up." She paused, as she started to realize something. "Hang on, it's like I have two sets of memories in my head for the same time period. In one, Amy had no parents, and I was her nanny because she only had an aging aunt to care for her. In the other, she just had parents who were extremely busy and needed help caring for her."

"You know what having two sets of memories means, Rosie. Time has been rewritten somehow. This has the Doc written all over it. I can practically guarantee that he is involved. The problem is with memory. I have a feeling I know what has happened. These cracks emit light from an explosion in time. I've been following them for awhile. The light is dangerous. If the light touches you, you do not die. You just cease to exist. Your memory is wiped from the minds of everyone who ever knew you, and it is like you'd never existed at all. I'm willing to bet that Doc came in contact with the light somehow."

"But why do you and I remember him, then?"

"We don't, not really. You remember him starting to regenerate, and then nothing. The person he became was wiped from your mind and erased from existence. The Doctors that we remember were different people, so we remember them. We may be the only two people in the universe who do."

"Benefit of being immortal, I guess." She remarked, darkly. "We remember what everyone else forgets. So if he did come in contact with the light, how do we get him back?"

"That's the tricky part. It appears that the cracks have disappeared. I'm willing to bet that he's behind that as well."

"But how do we get him back?!" Rose cried.

_"We_ don't." He started. "But you can."

"How? And why can't you help?"

"I never met him in his new body. But you did. I assume that if you saw him start to regenerate, then you saw him finish. And knowing how crazy he's always been for you, I doubt he'd let you out of his sight for long. Remember him, Rose. Remember the man he became. Remember him, and he'll come back."

* * *

That night, Rose dreamed of a gangly young man with shaggy hair and a big chin whose favorite foods included fish sticks and custard, and had a penchant for wearing bow ties and fezzes of all things. "What is with the fez?" she had asked in the dream.

"Fezzes are cool!" was his response.

"Right...yeah...no. Not happening!" Rose had responded before knocking it off his head.

When she awoke, however, the dream had faded.

* * *

The wedding was absolutely perfect. Amy made the most beautiful bride, and together she and Rory made the perfect couple. Their love was evident to everyone in the room. The reception was a huge party, and everyone had a great time! Everyone, that is, except for Rose.

Jack surprised Rose by crashing the reception. "How's the memory?" he asked her.

She smiled at him weakly. "Not good. I miss him, Jack. I miss him so much! How is it possible to miss someone whose face you can't even remember?" She allowed two large tears to escape from her eyes, just enough to smear her mascara.

Jack gave her a big hug in return. "Concentrate, Sweetie. You'll get there."

"What did you just call me?"

"Oh, you know I didn't mean anything by it..." he stammered.

"No, wait. Say it again. It's triggering something for me."

"Sweetie?"

Rose looked at him, her eyes wide. "That's what River used to call him. I used to get so mad at her for flirting with him that way. I would grab his gangly hand and claim my possession..." she gasped. "Last night, I had a dream about a gangly man... he was a bit eccentric..."

"Eccentric? Nah, that's not the Doc. He's never eccentric," Jack teased, his eyes twinkling. "Tell me more about this man."

So Rose poured out to him what she remembered, bowties, fezzes, and all. That was when they heard the TARDIS materializing outside. Rose had done it! The Doctor was back! She ran to him, crying tears of joy, and embraced him. Jack just stood off to the side, until the Doctor waved him over.

"I hear the TARDIS!" Amy cried. "Rory, did we forget to invite the Doctor?"

"How could we ever forget the Doctor?" Rory replied.


	7. Chapter 7

**I'm glad that everyone is enjoying this story so far! Keep the reviews coming! By the way, was last night's season 8 debut epic or what? Capaldi will make a great Doctor. He's not Tennant, but he'll be great just the same, I think. :) Moffatt's writing still has room for improvement though. Feel free to debate this in the comments.**

**If I owned Doctor Who, Rose would still be traveling with Capaldi's Doctor, or would at least return soon.**

CHAPTER 7

Amy and Rory were so happy to see the Doctor that they left their own wedding reception to see him. They were introduced to Jack, and for his part, he actually didn't flirt with either of them, considering it rude to flirt with someone at their wedding. But the happy couple seemed to accept the newcomer as an immediate friend.

"I just love weddings!" The Doctor joyfully stated, wrapping one arm around Rose's shoulder as they walked back to the reception. "Don't you Rose?"

"Yeah, I do! The love and happiness shared by the couple is always something overwhelmingly beautiful. Two people pledging to love each other and be together forever, no matter what happens." She replied, dropping what most people would call a not so subtle hint.

But the Doctor appeared as thick as ever. "The party afterwards! That's always the best part! The food, the cake, the flowers, the way that everyone always dresses in their fanciest clothes."

"The parade of single girls going out to catch the bouquet even though they have someone that they're in love with but are still single because their boyfriend is a daft alien." Rose muttered under her breath.

"What was that, Rose?"

"Nothing!"

But the Doctor had heard everything that she had said, and he was not as thick as he appeared. He was mildly amused with her frustration, mainly because it distracted him from how nervous he felt. For he had something up his sleeve, and something shiny in his pocket, and actually had had the something shiny for awhile. But he was waiting for the perfect moment to ask her. You'd think that being a lord of time would allow him to create the perfect moment on demand, but whenever he tried, something was slightly imperfect about the moment, and he had to let it pass. She deserved perfection.

Jack had also heard Rose's comment and was shocked that the timelord had not asked yet. So he decided to take matters into his own hands. When Rose excused herself to go to the loo, he approached the proclaimed "daft alien" and demanded that they talk "man to man". The Doctor knew that he was in trouble. He learned just how much trouble he was in when Jack invited the groom to join in the conversation.

"So, Doc. Please tell me that you know what this is about." Jack started.

He decided to continue to play dumb. "Nope. Not a clue."

"Um, I don't really know what's going on, either." Rory interjected.

"I'll tell you what's going on!" Jack replied angrily. "The Doc here still hasn't asked Rose to marry him!"

"What?!" Rory really was shocked. "You two aren't already married? Amy and I just assumed... And you're not even _engaged?!_ Doctor, I'm disappointed in you. What are you waiting for?"

"The perfect moment" the Doctor blurted out. "I... I... actually have a ring for her. Have had it awhile, actually. I just... there hasn't been a perfect moment yet. She deserves perfection."

"Doc, there is no such thing! You of all people should know that!" Jack was laughing.

"Yeah, when I asked Amy, I had this grand gesture planned out in my head complete with flowers and champagne, but the ring fell out of a hole in my pocket and landed at her feet before I could even give her the flowers. I was so embarrassed! But she said yes, anyway. Obviously..." Rory said, gesturing to the room. "Just ask her! She's not going to say no."

"How can you be so sure?" The Doctor asked.

"Doc, it's obvious!" Jack retorted. "Wait too long, and you could end up pushing her away. You don't want that."

"Wait, I just realized something. You already have a ring?" Rory asked. "Do you have it on you now?"

"Um...Yes"

* * *

The Doctor had disappeared. Again. Rose had never been so frustrated. At least she will remembered him, so that was a good thing. But his behavior was maddening. It was worse than with his previous incarnations with his confusing behavior. One second, he was saying "I love you!", and the next it was like she didn't even exist. If she didn't love him so much, she'd hate him.

She was sitting alone at her table, sulking, when the music died down and the soft melody of "Moonlight Serenade" began to play. Rose gasped as she recognized that it was the first song that she and the Doctor ever danced to. It brought back memories of meeting Jack for the first time and celebrating the night that "everybody lives". She closed her eyes to reminiscence.

She felt a gentle hand in hers and opened her eyes to find the Doctor in a most unusual costume. He wore a black leather jacket with a dark shirt, brown suit pants with blue pinstripes, white trainers, and a bowtie and fez. She smiled at him. He looked more than just a little ridiculous, but she understood what he had done. In that moment, he was all three of her Doctors, rolled into one. He grabbed her hand and led her to the dance floor for the last few minutes of the song. "I just remembered: I _can_ dance!" He whispered into her ear. She giggled as "In the Mood" began to play and he immediately twirled her around the dance floor.

As the song ended, he further surprised her by dropping to one knee and holding out the most gorgeous ring she had ever seen. She saw out of the corner of her eye that they were now the only couple on the dance floor as the entire room waited anxiously for what would happen next. She couldn't believe that this was actually happening

"Rose Marion Tyler" he began. "From the moment I met you, I knew that you were someone special. But even then, I had no idea just how special you would become to me. I love you, with both of my hearts. I cannot give you a traditional home and domestic life on the slow path, but I can promise you my forever, and you know that that is a very long time indeed. Will you marry me?"

Rose couldn't speak, she was so overcome with emotion. She just bent down and kissed him, to the sound of applause and whoops and hollers. When they parted, Rose found her voice. "That's a yes by the way."

On one end of the room, unseen by anyone else, Jack and Rory gave each other a quick high five.


	8. Chapter 8

**Mental TARDIS time again. It's time for the 50th anniversary special! I considered doing a few other episodes before I got to this special, but this story is supposed to be romantic and fluffy, with a little adventure on the side, and I didn't see much room for fluff in the other stories. So just pretend that everything happened as it happened on the show except that Rose was present at all times, though her role has been upgraded from companion to partner, meaning that she acts as an extension of the Doctor himself. They also have been making wedding plans! :) Also, obviously, River didn't marry the Doctor. They remain just very good friends. She still calls him "Sweetie" though, much to Rose's annoyance. Sorry that this is a lot of dialogue this time, but there were so many good lines in this episode, how could I leave them out?  
**

**I do not nor have I ever owned Doctor Who.**

CHAPTER 8

"Oh no, not now! I'm busy!" the Doctor exclaimed as a time fissure appeared above him.

"Does this have to do with the paintings?" the new Brigadier asked.

"No, this has something to do with me. I remember it, sort of." the Doctor replied. He seemed to be waiting for something to drop from it. Rose also remembered. She pointed to the fez on his head.

"Oh! I get it!" he said. "This is where I come in!" He tore the fez off his head and tossed it through the time fissure. He turned to his fiancee and companion. "Rose, Clara, I'm sorry, but you can't come." Rose nodded in understanding. Clara just looked annoyed, but she figured that if not even Rose could go, then she had no chance. "Geronimo!" the Doctor shouted before running and jumping into the fissure.

He landed in the middle of a forest with a young man in a brown suit and two young women who both looked decidedly a bit like Queen Elizabeth I. "Look at that! He's skinny as skinny can be! Much weirder seeing it from the outside. Better than a mirror!" The Doctor remarked sizing up the other man.

"You're not..." came the reply.

They both pulled out their sonic screwdrivers. Eleven's screwdriver was much bigger than Ten's. "You overcompensating for something?" asked Ten.

"What?" asked Eleven.

"Regeneration. It's a lottery." replied Ten, smirking. Eleven looked at him, annoyed.

"Am I interrupting something?" Eleven asked, gesturing to the two women. "I mean, what you do in the privacy of your own regeneration is your own business."

"Well... one of them is a Zygon." Ten replied, sheepishly.

"Ewwww. Look I'm not judging you." Eleven remarked.

"Doctor? Is everything alright?" Clara called through the fissure.

"Just fine, Clara." Eleven responded.

"When and where are you?" Clara asked. Eleven looked at his former self out of the corner of his eye and was grateful that Rose had enough sense to keep quiet just now. Unfortunately, his former self didn't have the same sense.

"England, 1569" Ten replied.

"Wait, I know that voice!" Rose called. Eleven smacked himself in the forehead. This was about to get... messy. Rose continued. "Doctor, who are you talking to?"

They looked at each other and then both called back to the fissure. "Myself!"

"I knew it!" Rose replied. "I'm coming! I want to see both of you!"

"Is that... Rose?" Ten whispered. Eleven nodded slowly before calling back through the fissure. "Best not. What if there is a former version of you running around here?"

"There's not." Ten whispered again. Pain was stretched across his features. Eleven looked at him as if he understood and then gestured to the two Elizabeths. "Best she doesn't see them, for both our sakes." Eleven whispered. "Oh, right." Ten agreed, still in a whisper.

"I suppose you're right, Doctor." Rose sighed. "But much as I love your chinny mug, just remember that I loved your other faces too."

Ten looked at Eleven and raised an eyebrow. Eleven figured that Ten hadn't reached the point in his timeline where he and Rose were reunited and talked freely about love.

"Let's see what else this fissure can do. Fez incoming!" Eleven shouted as he tossed the fez back through.

"It didn't land here, Doctor!" Clara called.

"Then where did it go?" Ten asked.

* * *

The Ninth Doctor and Rose had just rescued Jack from his exploding ship and were dancing to celebrate the night that everybody lived when a time fissure opened up above them.

"Well, that's just fantastic!" the Doctor said.

"What is that, Doc?" Jack asked.

"It's a time fissure! A rip in time! Anything could come through!" he yelled as a fez dropped through and landed on the floor.

"Well, that was a bit... anticlimactic." Rose remarked.

"Yeah, a bit." the Doctor replied. He picked up the fez and tossed it back. He heard voices on the other end. "Hello? This is the Doctor! Can someone tell me what is going on?"

"Umm... ok..." came a man's voice. "I don't know for sure, but if the fissure is in your time stream, I think you'd better come here."

"Yep." said another man, popping his "p".

"Fine. Have it your way." the Doctor replied. He turned to his companions and grinned. "This could be fun! You two, stay here!" And before they could stop him, he jumped through the fissure.

* * *

Nine landed in the forest with a loud thump. He observed the two young men and the two women. "Ok, as I've established before. I am the Doctor. Who are you, and why have you brought me here?"

Ten and Eleven exchanged a meaningful look. "Well..." Ten started, drawing out the word to its full extent. They both brought out their sonic screwdrivers.

"No." Nine remarked. "Both of you?" They nodded. "Fantastic."

"Did we really once have ears like that?" Ten whispered to Eleven.

"'Fraid so" Eleven replied, also in a whisper.

"Hey! I can hear you, you know!" Nine replied, indignant.

"We know that, Dumbo!" Eleven remarked. Ten just laughed hysterically at that nickname. "What are you laughing at, Sand shoes?"

"Oi! They're not sand shoes!"

"Will someone please tell me what is going on?" one of the Elizabeths ordered.

"I could have your heads!" the other reminded them.

"Right." Ten said. "Elizabeth, whichever one of you is the real one, how about you turn and run in the opposite direction of the other one?"

"Real one?" Nine asked Eleven in a whisper.

"One of them is a Zygon." Eleven replied.

"Ewww." Nine said as both Elizabeths ran up and kissed Ten before running away.

"That's what I'd said" said Eleven.

As the three men watched Elizabeth run off, an older man appeared in the forest, holding the fez.

"Anybody here lose a fez?" he asked. "I'm looking for the Doctor."

"What's _he_ doing here?" Nine asked Eleven in a whisper.

"How should I know?" Eleven answered, also whispering.

"Well, you've certainly come to the right place" remarked Ten.

"Who are you three, then? Are you his companions?"

"Companions!" Eleven was indignant.

"They get younger every time." the War Doctor continued. "Now, if you could point me in the direction of the Doctor..."

All three Doctors looked at each other and pulled out their sonic screwdrivers.

"No! All three of you? Am I having a midlife crisis?"


	9. Chapter 9

**Doctor Who isn't mine, and I'm running out of creative ways to say that.**

CHAPTER 9

The four Doctors entered Ten's TARDIS. Somehow, they knew that the answer to their unique situation would be to advance to Eleven's timeline and discover how the Zygons left the paintings.

"You've let her go a bit, haven't you?" The War Doctor commented.

"Hey, I happen to like it!" Nine remarked.

"It's their grunge phase. Don't worry, I'll get over it." Eleven remarked.

The TARDIS seemed to be struggling to hold her form. "Four of us on board, we're confusing the Old Girl." Ten remarked.

Their surroundings wobbled a little and Jack appeared. "This one must be mine, then." Nine remarked. "Hello! Guess you two are coming along after all!"

"Doc, who are these people?" Jack asked.

"They're me." Nine replied. His companion just looked at him, confused. "Ok, fine. Jack, Rose, meet past me, future me, and the other future me. Otherwise known as Gramps, Sandshoes, and Chin."

"Oi!" Replied the other three.

"Ah. Regeneration." Said Jack.

Nine suddenly realized that Rose wasn't there. "Jack, where's Rose?"

"She was right here a second ago..."

But before they could mount a search, the room changed, this time to the War Doctor's TARDIS. Worry about Rose gave way to excitement. "Look! It's the circle things!" Ten cried.

"I love the circle things!" Eleven said.

"What _are_ the circle things?" Nine asked.

"I've got no idea." Ten responded. The War Doctor just shook his head in dismay. Jack laughed.

The room suddenly changed again, this time to Eleven's layout. "Oh! You've redecorated!" Ten exclaimed.

"I don't like it." Nine remarked.

Clara then emerged. "Doctor? What's going on?"

"Not completely sure" Eleven answered. "But these are three of my past selves. Um... Clara? where's... Rose?" He gulped the last bit.

"She's... Well, that's funny, she was just here!"

"Great..." Eleven muttered.

"Maybe the TARDIS is preventing a paradox by not allowing multiple Roses in the same room?" Clara asked, hopefully. Rose had said that that was a possibility.

"Let's hope so." Eleven said, worry creasing his brow.

Jack spotted Clara across the room and winked. Clara blushed. "Why hello, Captain Jack Harkness." Jack said, holding out his hand to her.

"Clara Oswin Oswald" she replied, shaking his hand.

"Jack" warned Nine. "Stop flirting."

"Can't I just say hello?" Jack pouted.

"That's a good question" Ten remarked.

The War Doctor just groaned. "I regenerate into children and invite more children to travel with me. That is a very fitting punishment for what I'm about to do."

* * *

They returned to the National Gallery in time to see that every UNIT personnel on staff had a Zygon duplicate and they were going to blow up the world. The War Doctor was amazed at his future selves' ingenuity when together, they tricked everyone present into negotiating for peace when no one could remember if they were human or Zygon.

"Great men are forged in fire. It takes a lesser man to light the flame." The War Doctor commented to the Moment's interface: a blonde woman who called herself Bad Wolf. "I think I'm ready now." He said.

He found himself back on Gallifrey, in the small shed with the weapon of mass destruction. Bad Wolf was not going to give up, however. She was not going to be used to blow up Gallifrey. "You know that wheezing sound that the TARDIS makes when she lands?" She asked him. "It has brought hope to many people, and that includes you."

heard the unmistakable sound of multiple TARDISes landing behind him. The Doctors and their companions Jack and Clara emerged.

"All these years of regret." Nine started.

"All these years that I've hated you and who I was then." Ten continued.

"Even though I've tried to forget that you even existed." Eleven was solemn.

"I've come to realize that you are the Doctor more than any of us." Said Nine.

"You were the Doctor when it was impossible to get it right." Affirmed Ten.

"And this time, you're not alone." Eleven finished their little collective speech. Together, the three Doctors approached their younger self and prepared to lay their hands upon the button.

Bad Wolf just sat to the side, silently crying. The only one who could see or hear her was the War Doctor. This was the exact opposite of what was supposed to happen! She had wanted to prevent the destruction of Gallifrey, not make all three of her Doctors live through doing it over and over again! This would destroy him worse than he was before! This is what she gets for interfering with his timeline. All she had wanted to do was to help. She twisted the ring on her left hand. "I'm so sorry, my Doctors," she whispered.

* * *

Bad Wolf was not the only one who was not happy with this situation. Both Clara and Jack were terrified as well.

"Doc." Jack started, addressing Nine. "Think this through. Are you really sure you want to do this?"

"I'm sure I don't." He replied. "But it's the only way."

"Is it really?" Clara asked. "There has got to be another way!" She was about to burst into tears.

"Do you think that I haven't turned this over and over again in my head for the last four hundred years?" Eleven retorted. "There is no other way!"

"Think of the children, Doctor" Bad Wolf addressed the War Doctor. "Are you really able to kill them all? Do you even know how many there are? One day, you will. Ask them."

He was afraid to, but he asked anyway. "How many children are on Gallifrey right now?"

"I try to forget about it. I've had to move on." Eleven said sadly.

"I've only begun to count" Nine's voice betrayed his grief.

"2.47 billion" Ten interjected. "I still hear their cries."

"Blimey!" The War Doctor said. "What are we doing?"

Bad Wolf quietly said, "There's more than one of you now. There is another way!"


	10. Chapter 10

**Here we are: the Chapter I've been building up to during this 50th anniversary recap! :) enjoy!**

**Not mine. Sorry.**

CHAPTER 10

Bad Wolf had a great idea. She told it to the War Doctor, and allowed him to pass it off as his. To her immense relief, the others thought that the plan was brilliant! Every face of the Doctor returned. Gallifrey was surrounded by TARDISes, and together, the Doctors moved Gallifrey from this universe into a pocket universe where everyone could continue to live in peace. The daleks destroyed each other (well, except for the one that ended up in Van Stratten's museum, the Emperor, the cult of Skaro, and the others who survived to torture the Doctor in the future). Rassilon had wanted to rule the universe, and now he could: just a much smaller one than he had intended. Victorious, the War Doctor and Doctors Nine through Eleven returned to the National Gallery and spoke with the curator (who looked oddly familiar) who told them that the painting of Arcadia was entitled "Gallifrey Falls No More". Their mission was a success!

"Great work, Doc!" Jack said, slapping the War Doctor on the back.

Clara have him a big hug.

"It wasn't my idea, not really." He said. Jack and Clara bade everyone farewell and boarded their appropriate TARDIS. The War Doctor looked at the others. "It was her idea. Oh, Bad Wolf girl, I could kiss you!"

"What'd you just say?" Nine asked. Those words had been following him around.

"Did you just say, Bad Wolf girl?" Ten asked, in complete disbelief.

"Oh, you sneaky little devil you!" Eleven remarked with glee. "Now it makes sense!"

"Maybe when you're older," Bad Wolf replied, cheekily. She snapped her fingers, making herself visible to everyone in the room. She addressed her Doctors, whose jaws had hit the floor. "Hello boys!"

Eleven was the first to find his voice. "Alright, exactly what point of my timeline have you been pulled from?"

She flashed her left hand, showing him that she wrote his ring. "I am the Bad Wolf. I exist outside of time, and yet within. I am, at this moment, waiting on the TARDIS with Jack, for that part of the timeline had frozen since you jumped through the fissure" here she looked at Nine. "Trapped in a parallel world and working to find my way back, and I will come back very soon" she said, looking at Ten. "And after you told me that I couldn't come through the fissure, I decided to go do some shopping." She smiled at Eleven, who groaned at the word "shopping". He hoped the TARDIS was big enough to hold her purchases.

"Wait just a minute, Rose. _You're_ Bad Wolf?" Nine asked, surprised, and a bit impressed.

"But... it's just... impossible!" Ten stuttered.

"Really, you've lived for how long? And you have known me since when? And you still think that this is impossible!" She walked over to him and placed her hand on his cheek. "I promised you forever, and I never break my promises."

"But" he said, glancing at the others out of the corner of his eye, "I lost you." Tears had begun to form in his eyes. She pretended she didn't notice. He hated being caught in an emotional state.

"Doctor, do you remember what I told you on Bad Wolf Bay?" He nodded. The tears began to fall. She brought her other hand to his face, and wiped them away with her thumbs. "It's true. That will never, ever change. I'm coming back to you! And when I do, I'm never, ever going to leave you again!" He looked at her in awe.

"Yeah, I can't get rid of her!" Eleven joked, trying to lighten the mood.

"Oh, hush! You like me!" She teased back, flashing him her famous grin.

"Yeah, I do!" He grinned back.

She turned back to Ten, whose face she still held. "It's been so long for me since I last saw this face." She smiled up at him. "Who are you traveling with these days?" The absence of a companion for Ten had not gone unnoticed.

"I had been traveling with Martha Jones, but she left the other day. I guess I spent to much time comparing her to you. Now I'm alone again."

She turned to Eleven. "Do you remember anything of this conversation?"

He shook his head. "Nope. Side effect of having multiple versions of me in the room. Only the oldest present ever remembers. That's what's happened before, at least."

"Then I can issue spoilers without looking for Reapers" she said and turned back to Ten. "Donna will find you again very soon, and you'll travel with her awhile. Then..." here she paused. "Then I'll be back! Here's a preview of coming attractions." And she kissed him. Oh how she had missed those lips! She loved kissing Eleven, but it was like Ten's lips were made just for her. Ten was surprised at first, his eyebrows had jerked up. But that was short lived and he gladly reciprocated the kiss with a hunger that reminded Rose of their first kiss that for her was so long ago.

Eleven cleared his throat. She turned to him. "Jealous of yourself, much?" She teased. He grinned back at her, sheepish.

Nine had stayed quiet during this whole exchange, but had watched and listened with great interest. She now turned to him. "Speaking of a long time since I last saw a face." She smiled, cupping his face in her hands. "When is it for you?"

Nine found that it was difficult for him to speak, having witnessed his future self kissing his beautiful Rose. He cleared his throat. "WWII. London. Nanogenes. Jack." He was quite unable to form a complete sentence, so staggered he was by the night's revelations.

"The night that everybody lived!" She cried. "Oh my Doctor! That was such a good night for you, for us! I'm glad you've come to this point after such a happy time!"

"I couldn't have done it without you." He choked on the words. She had never called him "my Doctor" before. He rather liked the sound of it. It was like he belonged to her somehow, but instead of making him feel trapped like he thought it might, he felt free! "So. Last time I checked, you were just a human. A most fantastic human, I might add, but still just a human. Explain to me Bad Wolf. It's not like I'm going to remember anyway. So tell me."

So she told him what she knew. How he'd sent her away, and how she had opened the TARDIS and looked into her heart. How she had destroyed the daleks and brought Jack back to life. How he'd had to regenerate to save her. "I'm so very sorry about that part," she whispered.

"From the sound of things, you saved me! You could have died in the process, Rose! What on earth were you thinking?!"

"I love you." She said, simply. All three of her Doctors gasped. No matter how many times she'd told Eleven that she'd loved him from the start, he never truly believed her until now. She addressed them all. "I guess I always have. From the moment you first grabbed my hand and told me to run, I knew that I would run with you anywhere. Anytime, even." She turned back to Nine. "You were the face I fell in love with."

"Rose Marion Tyler. You are the most fantastic human I have ever had the pleasure of meeting. And I..." He looked into her eyes. He was unable to finish his sentence, but she understood. She laughed, leaned in and gave him his own "preview of coming attractions". She had never kissed those lips before (that she remembered at least), but had dreamed of it many times. Oh, those dreams had paled in comparison to the real thing!

"By the way" she said, addressing the room. "Bad Wolf has also extended my lifetime and slowed my aging. I'm 320 now and still show no signs of slowing down!"

"Still just a baby though!" Eleven remarked as the others gazed at her in amazement - and love. She hadn't expected to see love in the eyes of her younger Doctors, but was so pleased that she did!

The War Doctor had watched these exchanges quietly, preferring to blend into the background rather than be noticed. But he couldn't resist asking his Bad Wolf girl one thing. "Do you have any other previews of coming attractions you might like to, uh, share?"

She laughed. "Technically, we haven't even met yet!"

"Does it matter?"

"Are you the Doctor?"

"Am I?" He turned to the others. They all nodded, wondering what was about to happen. "I guess I am, then."

"Well then, Doctor. I wouldn't want you to feel left out." And she kissed him as well.

Blushing, he turned to leave. "Looks like I have a lot to look forward to." He looked at the four TARDISes lined up against the wall. "Um... which one is mine?" The others pointed to it. "Very well, then. I very much look forward to seeing/being you!" As the TARDIS dematerialized, they heard him remark "Oh that makes sense. I am wearing a bit thin."

"He's turning into me!" Nine grinned. "That probably means that that's my cue. I've got things to do! Places to see!"

"Planets to save!" Rose laughed before embracing him in a hug. "I'll miss you!"

"What? When I turn into such dashing specimens?" He said, grinning at his future selves. "I'll see you soon, Rose. Glad to know that my future is in such good hands." With that, he was gone.

Ten looked at her quizzically. He had seen the flash of something shiny on her left hand as she had hugged Nine goodbye. He gestured to her hand. "Spoilers!" She teased. "Oh, I guess you wouldn't have met River yet, so you don't get the joke. Then let it be known that I said it first! Let's just say that I'm going to be around for awhile." He kissed her then, and she gladly reciprocated.

"I'm not going to remember this at all?" He asked Eleven who nodded, sadly. "Then, I don't want to go!"

But he went anyway, as he should. Rose and Eleven were all that remained. "Rose, you are brilliant!" He was so touched by what she had done for his part selves, what she had done for him. He kissed her passionately before hand in hand they boarded the TARDIS, where Clara was patiently waiting.


	11. Chapter 11

**This will probably be my next to last chapter unless the muse strikes again after I watch more of season 8. I actually have a nice idea for another story inspired by some of the questions that were left unanswered in the premier, so stay tuned! I also have plans to do a major overhaul of "a TARDIS family reunion".**

**I don't own Doctor Who.**

CHAPTER 11

It was the day before the big day. Rose and Clara were spending the day off the TARDIS, getting final dress fittings, decorating the reception hall, and otherwise getting everything ready for the wedding. The Doctor had wanted to help, but he was basically told to butt out. He smiled to himself. It was plain as could be that he was no longer the boss of his own life, and he found that he was actually ok with that.

He had a few hours to kill before the rehearsal (and what he suspected was a not so surprise bachelor party thrown by Jack: why did he ask him to be the best man again? Right. There was no one else. If he could have picked anyone, Rory would have been a good option, or Mickey, or even the Brigader from the old days... aww he'd still have picked Jack). The Doctor decided to make himself useful and ensure that the bride would be in attendance: it was time to rescue her former self from this universe's Bad Wolf Bay and bring her to his former self's TARDIS. He thought of everything that they had been through since she had been returned to him and once again was amazed at how his unique life could come in such a complete circle.

He found her standing on Bad Wolf Bay, just as she'd said she was. She was wearing the same clothes as when he found her asleep on the sofa in the telly room after her surprise return. But of course she was, he realized! He's taking her back now. "Hello Rose!" He said, leaning cockily in the entrance of the TARDIS.

"You know me?" She asked, her face lighting up. "You must be a future version then."

"Yeah, I am. It must be a bit confusing for you, having just met a past me." He smiled. "Well, we'd best be going, then. I'd love to visit with you for awhile, but we both have places to be."

"You mean you're taking me somewhere? Oh no you don't! I don't care if you do look different. You're my Doctor, and I'm not getting left somewhere again!"

He chucked. "Don't worry. I won't be making that mistake again. But I am taking you somewhere. I'm bringing you back... to me. You don't really want this face, do you? I mean, you'll get this face someday now that you're immortal and all. But I'm not the Doctor you want right now..."

She cut him off. "How do you know I'm immortal?"

"You told me! Or you will tell me. Sometimes even I get confused during time travel. It's Bad Wolf, right? Come on, let's take you to your Doctor."

Rose was amazed. "But you can't cross your own timeline!" She cried.

"I can be close to it, though. Just as long as I'm not seen by my past self and the two TARDISes are far enough apart to avoid detection of the other, it's safe. However, I'm afraid it means you're gonna have to walk."

"I don't mind walking." She replied.

The TARDIS landed in London and he told her about Donna and where to find him. They hugged. "No offense, but I hope it's awhile before I see your face again, though I do look forward to it!" She called over her shoulder as she ran in the direction that he had pointed.

"None taken!" He called back before returning to his own time.

* * *

Jack did have a surprise for the Doctor that night, but it wasn't what he had been expecting. It _ was_ a bachelor party, but the Eleventh Doctor was not the only bachelor. Jack, who remembered all the faces of the Doctor gathering together to save Gallifrey, used his (not as broken as the Doctor thought) vortex manipulator to go through time and pick up Nine and Ten the instant that they had returned to their TARDISes that day and invited them to their own bachelor party and wedding before they forgot. But that's not all. He'd managed to pick up Rory and Mickey in the process. He'd also managed to bring back Amy, River, Donna (before the memory wipe), and Martha as well. They were going to be Rose's surprise extra bridesmaids! The Doctor, in all three forms, was very happy. His entire family since meeting Rose was here! He carefully kept his triplicate form a secret from his bride. She would love it!

* * *

The wedding day dawned bright and sunny. Rose made an exquisite bride! She was absolutely thrilled that the other girls had come. She had become friends with them all, and was so glad that they could share in her happy day! She was even more excited when she heard that Mickey and Rory were in attendance as groomsmen. After her maid of honor Clara had led the others down the aisle, Jack offered Rose her arm. He had a twinkle in his eye.

"Rose Tyler, if I may call you that one more time, you are the most beautiful bride I have ever seen." He commented, as arm in arm, they walked down the aisle.

Rose looked at her bridesmaids and smiled. She looked at the groomsmen and smiled. Then she dared to look at the back of her groom. Make that _ grooms._ She stopped for a second to take in the sight, and began to cry years of joy. Standing next to the gangly Doctor that she had expected to marry were two other figures with their backs turned. One was wearing his tuxedo of doom. The other had tuxedo pants, but still wore a leather jacket. She was marrying her true love today. Every face of him that she had loved!

When she finally reached the front, all three looked at her in amazement. She really did look gorgeous! They turned and faced each other, and Rose found herself wishing that she had at least one more hand so that she could hold each of her grooms while they said their vows. But the Doctors had a different plan.

Nine grasped her hands first. "I, the Doctor, do take you, Rose Marion Tyler, as my wife. From the moment I met you, somehow I knew that we'd end up here someday. You've made me into a better man. I only hope that someday I will actually become the man you believe me to be."

Then Ten grasped her hands. "I, the Doctor, also take you, Rose Marion Tyler, as my wife. I was a man without a home until I met you. When I lost you, I lost a part of myself. I promise to never lose you again!"

Eleven then took over. "I, the Doctor, also take you, Rose Marion Tyler, as my wife. I promise that I loved you then (here he glanced at the others) and I know that I always will. I promise that I'll take care of you come peace or war, relaxing adventure or hostile invasion, forsaking all others until the end of the universe and back again!"

Then it was Rose's turn. Not having enough hands, she dropped them to her side, and addressed her Doctor singly. "I, Rose Marion Tyler, do take you, My Doctor, to be my husband. When we met, you took my hand, told me to run, and I haven't stopped since! The running is always better when there is a hand to hold. So I promise that I will always be the hand in yours as you are always the hand in mine. I promise I'll be your companion and partner, come friend or dalek, familiar face or new regeneration, forsaking all others... forever!"

Rings were then presented. Rose recognized the rings that she had suddenly remembered seeing on a chain around her former Doctors' necks that had been strangely absent on his current face. They couldn't wear them on their hands because they married her outside their own timelines, but it represented their bond to her. She was beyond touched. Rose's ring had three TARDIS blue stones inlaid in the silver band, one for each of her Doctors. Whenever he regenerated, a new stone would appear. This concluded the human part of the ceremony.

Then each Doctor took off his bowtie (she chuckled to herself that all the of them had now one now) and prepared for the timelord ceremony. They each held one end of the tie in their right hand. Rose took all three of the other ends in hers. Since she no longer had parents, her bridesmaids spoke for her. "We give our consent!" The groomsmen then spoke for the Doctor. "We give our consent!" The Doctors each wrapped their ties around her hands. Eleven, the designated groom, then placed his hands on either side of her head. "Rose, with you I am bonded." Rose felt a rush of energy as she felt the Doctor's mind enter hers. She repeated the action on the Doctors, one again using Eleven as the designated groom. He then leaned over and whispered in her ear. Her eyes grew wide and she understood. He had just given her his name.

They were then pronounced "Doctor and Mrs. Doctor", husband and wife. Three amazing kisses followed. During the reception, she danced with all three versions of her husband at once. "Thank you, Doctor." She whispered. All three surrounded her in a triangular fashion and hugged her close. None of them wanted this night to end. The Doctor and the newly christened Mrs. Doctor, together in the TARDIS, forever!


	12. Chapter 12

**So, I lied a bit. I ended up writing too much, so I'm breaking this last chapter up into two. Consider it a bonus! :)  
**

**For the last time, I do not own this!**

CHAPTER 12

Rose and the Doctor had a most unusual honeymoon. They spent 900 years in a town called Christmas on the planet Trenzalore. It wasn't intentional. They were there defending the town against hostile invasions and Gallifrey threatening to return from the pocket Universe. Really, it wasn't the worst way to honeymoon and live out their marriage. They were forced to live domestically. The Doctor surprised everyone, especially himself, when he not only adjusted to staying in one place on the slow path for a very long period of time, but actually enjoyed it. Their lives had begun to resemble a perfect picture of domesticity. They actually had a beautiful house that was surrounded by a white picket fence. They did ordinary things such as grocery shop, shovel snow, and go Christmas caroling. They even had a dog. The only thing that they did not ever have was children. Though this was a bit of a disappointment, they were partly relieved, because neither wanted to raise a child in this environment. For their apparently settled lives were peppered with intense bursts of danger on an almost daily basis. Many of the enemies of the Doctor broke through the force field to terrorize the little town, and the town was defended. Rose in particular was impressed with the ingenuity of some of the enemies' methods: of particular note was the wooden Cybermen who were able to slip past the force field because there was no metal on them, yet somehow were able to throw flames without igniting themselves. Over and over again, the Doctor and Rose were able to defend the planet.

But not all was well in paradise. The Doctor had suspected something about himself, and the proximity of Gallifrey had only confirmed it. He was in his last body. There would be no more regenerations.

"So, what you're saying is" Rose started when he finally told her. "All those years that you spent worrying about my dying and leaving you alone, you're now telling me that the opposite is going to happen!" She began to cry. All the Doctor could do was to hold her and tell her how sorry he was, but yes, it appeared that that would be the case.

"But you've known for awhile, since you regenerated even, that this was the last body! Why haven't you told me sooner?! Why lead me on at our wedding and allow me to believe that there would be more stones to add to my ring?!" she didn't know if she wanted to slap him or to hang onto him for dear life.

"I didn't know for sure, not really, if the Meta-Crisis counted or not. But I hear the voices of Gallifrey in my head now that they are just on the other side of that crack. They taunt me, warn me that I'm getting old and I will not last forever. There is a legend that when a timelord dies in his last body, his last breath whispers his real name. Gallifrey is counting on that. My death will bring Gallifrey back. My death will begin the new Time War, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."

Together, the couple held each other and cried themselves to sleep.

Generations of the town were born, grew old, and died, but the Doctor and his Rose remained. The years were beginning to take their toll on the couple, however. They were both aging. The Doctor however, though aging very slowly by human standards, was aging at a much faster rate than Rose. After 900 years had passed, the Doctor appeared to be in his late nineties, while Rose appeared to only be in her early fifties. Rose had long ago assumed the lions share of the fighting and out of necessity learned how to fly the TARDIS as the Doctor's aging frame made it almost impossible for him to move. Neither of them ever spoke it aloud, but they knew that their time together was coming to an end. Rose tried so hard to hide it, but the Doctor knew that she cried herself to sleep every night.

One night, he rolled over and found that her side of the bed was cold. This really bothered him, for he knew that his time was near, and he did not want to die alone. In the distance, he heard the sound of the TARDIS dematerializing. She had gone to get Clara.

* * *

Clara was shocked at the appearance of Rose, for she looked so much older than what was for Clara at least, just earlier in the day. Unable to find bleach for her hair on Trenzalore, her hair hadn't been blond in a very long time, and now was streaked with a startling amount of grey. "If she thinks that I look older, wait until she sees the Doctor" she thought, sadly.

"The Doctor is dying." Rose said simply. "I think that you should come."

* * *

When they returned, they found the Doctor at the top of the town's church near the steeple, taking one last stand against the daleks. Rose rushed to his side. Clara, on the other hand, had another plan. Gallifrey was still waiting on the other side of the crack. Even from the ground, Clara could see how frail the Doctor was. He did not have much time left. The timelords were their only hope.

"_Listen to me, you lot. Listen! Help him. Help him change the future. Do it. Do something_." she cried through the crack. " _You've been asking a question, and it's time someone told you you've been getting it wrong. His name, his name is the Doctor. All the name he needs. Everything you need to know about him. And if you love him, and you should, help him. Help him._"

When Rose arrived, she saw the Doctor arguing with an entire fleet of daleks. Her eyes welled up with pride. Even in his dying moments, he was still the Doctor. _"Yes, I'm dying. You've been trying to kill me for centuries, and here I am, dying of old age. If you want something done, do it yourself."_The crack disappeared, and reappeared in the sky. A burst of golden energy left the crack and entered his mouth. He looked over at Rose in amazement as the crack closed. Immediately, he began to regenerate. _"Oh, look at this. Regeneration number thirteen. We're breaking some serious science here, boys. I tell you what, it's going to be a whopper!" _ A large burst of regeneration energy was sent up to the dalek mothership, and it was destroyed.

* * *

Hand in hand, a newly youthful Doctor and Rose walked back to the TARDIS. "Isn't this incredible Rose? A whole new regeneration cycle! Look at us! We're gonna be together for awhile!" He was practically dancing around the console room. He then thought of something and excused himself to make a quick telephone call, the details of which he did not disclose to Rose. Clara joined them as the Doctor finished his call.

Rose was torn. She was overjoyed that her Doctor was not dead, nor even dying anymore. But he was regenerating. This face was about to die, and that was almost as bad as losing him completely. Even though she had been with him through two regenerations before, it was still a terrifying experience because you never knew what you'd get.

She put on a brave face for Clara, though, who had an idea of what was about to happen because she had seen his past faces in her echoes, but she had never actually seen it take place. Together, the three of them enjoyed one last snack of fish sticks and custard as they waited for the change to take place.

"_It all just disappears, doesn't it? Everything you are, gone in a moment, like breath on a mirror. Any moment now, he's a-coming_" The Doctor said, a little too cheerily for Rose's liking.

"_Who's coming?_" Clara asked, though she knew the answer but was afraid to admit it.

"_The Doctor._" He replied.

"Clara, he's right. The process has already started. It could be a big one. It's best that we take cover just in case." Rose interjected, sounding braver than she actually felt.

"_But you, you are the Doctor."_ Clara was near tears now. Rose wasn't too far behind.

"_Yep, and I always will be. But times change, and so must I. We all change, when you think about it. We're all different people all through our lives. And that's okay, that's good, you've got to keep moving, so long as you remember all the people that you used to be. I will not forget one line of this. Not one day. I swear. I will always remember when the Doctor was me."_

Rose couldn't stand it any longer. She disregarded her own advice and ran into his arms and kissed those lips just one last time. "Goodbye, my love. I'll see you soon." Rose tried so hard not to cry. But then he took off his bowtie. As it hit the ground, one large sob escaped from her lips.

"_No!_" Clara whispered. "_Please don't change._"

But no sooner than those words left her mouth, the Doctor's head jerked back and the forward again, and in that instant, he had changed. Rose gasped. This new Doctor was much older looking than the last, and he had decidedly large, furry eyebrows.

"_Kidneys! I've got new kidneys! I don't like the colour!_" The new Doctor proclaimed, bewildered.

"_Of your kidneys?_" Clara asked, dumbfounded.

Rose just laughed. "Something like this always happens when he first changes. The first time I saw this happen, he was momentarily distracted by the new teeth in his mouth. The second time, he thought he was a girl for a moment because his hair was longer!" She turned to the Doctor. "Kidneys, eh? I thought you'd be upset that you're still not ginger."

"I'm not?! Great. The kidneys are the wrong colour, so's the hair... And I sound Scottish. What else is wrong with this body?" He was afraid to know.

"Well, you're looking a little..." Clara's remark was stopped by Rose who was gesturing her to cut it. "...chubbier." Rose slapped herself in the head. Because that was so much better than "old". "Sorry" Clara mouthed.

The TARDIS began lurching. "Need me to fly her while you get your brain sorted?" Rose offered. He was very grateful.


	13. Chapter 13

**So, this is it for this one. And it's real this time! So I have a theory about season 8 that I think you all will like, and I'll write about it next. Working title, "Finding Paradise". Look for it to post soon! Thank you all for reading, reviewing, favoriting, and following. This is not my first fan fic, but it is the first one that I've finished!**

**WARNING! this chapter contains spoilers for "Deep Breath"!**

**For the very last time, I do not own Doctor Who.**

EPILOGUE

It turned out that Rose was not much better piloting the TARDIS than the Doctor's regeneration confused brain, because she managed to get the Old Girl lodged in the throat of a dinosaur. Brilliant. She tried to escape by just dematerializing, but all that did was transport the dinosaur to Victorian London. Well, at least they got out of the beast's mouth before they were digested. She decided that as soon as the timelord got his brain sorted out, she was never driving again.

The three of them had an interesting adventure in London involving apparent spontaneous combustion (Rose really felt bad for the dinosaur, since it was her fault that he, excuse me, _she_ was there), strange restaurants, and creepy clockwork droids that reminded her of an earlier adventure with the Doctor, two faces ago.

"Doctor!" She whispered to him as they observed the droids in the restaurant. "Remember? Reinette? Madame de Pompadour?"

His regeneration mind was still addled with confusion. "You might have to be more specific, Rose. This does seem familiar and what you're saying tickles something in there, but I just can't reach it."

"The ship! Doctor! The clockwork repair droids were repairing the ship with body parts, and they needed the brain of Madame de Pompadour because that was the name of the ship!"

"Ah ha!" He remarked. "There's got to be a connection."

"That's right! They needed her at the right age, which turned out to be the age of the ship!" Clara commented. Rose was surprised at first at Clara's knowledge, but then she remembered: one of Clara's echoes had been Reinette's governess. Clara did have a penchant for posing as governesses.

Suddenly, the trio was strapped into their seats as the bench was dropped to the cellar. There, with the assistance of their old friends, the Paternoster Gang, they were able to fight off the droids that wanted to kill all of London and take their body parts for repairs. The Doctor and Rose had managed to escape with the head droid to the escape pod where they were able to confirm Rose's suspicions: these droids were on a ship named "Marie Antoinette", a sister ship of the "Madame de Pompadour". Somehow the head droid ended up impaled on top of Big Ben disabling the other droids, but neither Rose nor the Doctor were talking details.

The couple went to the TARDIS, and without speaking, they dematerialized. "We are coming back for Clara, aren't we?" Rose asked, her time warning him that he'd better say yes.

He just looked at her, his new eyes were troubled. "Clara doesn't trust me anymore." He stated, matter of factly.

"Give her time, Doctor. She just misses the old you, and doesn't know what to make of this new you. And quite frankly, I am the same way!"

He looked hurt at this comment. Certainly Rose, _his_ Rose, saw that he was still the Doctor!

She seemed to know what he was thinking and ran over to him, cupping his cheek in her hand. "Oh, my Doctor! Yes, I miss the old you, and the old old you, and the old old old you... seriously, any more regenerations and I'm going to have to start calling you New New York!" He smiled at that comment. She continued. "But in all honesty, I think I'm going to like this new you. If you haven't noticed, I'm not as young as I once was either, and if you turned into another youngster, I doubt I'd be able to keep up! We finally get to be the old married couple!" She laughed. He flashed a small smile. This new Doctor was certainly more reserved than the previous incarnations she had known, but it was refreshing. She held out her left hand and showed him her wedding band. A new stone had appeared. "You are my Doctor, and I love you!"

"Oh Rose! Thank you for seeing me underneath! I... I don't think this me is up for sentiments or outward signs of affection. But you know how I feel, and that will never change."

"To the void with outward signs of affection!" Rose responded and kissed him. He grudgingly returned it. She was still his weakness, and always would be.

They returned for Clara and she received a very special phone call that made Rose a little jealous. She squeezed his hand though, to tell him that it was ok. Clara finally saw him for who he was and embraced him. He looked over at Rose during the embrace and smiled quietly at her. Rose's heart swelled with joy. Her family was back together, and she was home.


End file.
